Anders Randolf

• Name — Anders Randolf • Born — 18 December 1870 • Birthplace — Viborg, Denmark • Died — 2 July 1930 • Place of death — Hollywood, California, U.S. • Other Names — Anders Randolph • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1913–1930 • Spouse — Dorthea Jorgensen (m.?–1930) • Resting Place — Frederiksberg Cemetery, Copenhagen

Randolf was born in Viborg, Denmark on December 18, 1870. As a youth, he attended a military academy, graduated Maitre d'Arms and served with the Royal Danish Hussars, earning a reputation as a world-class swordsman. Randolf emigrated to the United States in 1893 and joined the U.S. Army, serving with the 17th US Infantry.

Harboring a lifelong passion for the theater, Randolf performed with an acting troupe in Columbus, Ohio before joining a number of touring companies including William Farnum All-Star Company and the Vaughan Glaser Company. He co-starred in a highly regarded production of As You Like It (1599) opposite Henrietta Crosman.

• Illustration — Fairbanks and Randolf in the final sword duel sequence of The Black Pirate In 1914, Anders Randolf began appearing in 1- or 2-reelers with the Vitagraph Studios stock company, and earned critical praise in his first feature film The Wheels of Justice (1915) in the role of Tug' Riley, a convict. A reviewer in the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote: "Anders Randolf as Tug Riley is undoubtedly the most real in the excellent cast." Randolf continued working with Vitagraph until 1919 even as the production company's fortunes declined. The company was acquired by Warner Bros. studios in 1925. As a freelance performer, Rudolf was provided with "top supporting roles" in high production features. He worked for Cosmopolitan productions, co-starring with Marion Davies in The Cinema Murder (1919), Buried Treasure (1921), and Enchantment. Regarded as "one of Hollywood's most respected heavies", he was often cast to play villains. A versatile actor, Randolf could expertly play comedic roles, for example, as a incompetent banker in In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1923); and Mary Pickford's father in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924). At the pinnacle of his career, the 50-year-old Randolf was cast as the pirate captain in The Black Pirate (1924), a swashbuckler starring Douglas Fairbanks. His outstanding skills as a swordsman were on display in the final duel sequence. Critic Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times congratulated Randolf on his "cunning and brutal" interpretation of the role.

Randolf's health was in decline in the late 1920s, but his work schedule did not slacken. His transition to sound films in a number of Warner Bros. productions in 1929 and 1930 were untroubled, as Randolf carried little trace of a Danish accent. His later film appearances were in comedy shorts: Charley Chase's The Snappy Sneezer (1929), Laurel and Hardy's The Night Owls (1930) and Joe E. Brown's Maybe It's Love (1930). His final films, Going Wild (1931) and West of the Rockies (1931), were released posthumously. Randolf died on July 3, 1930, following a relapse after a kidney operation. He was interred at Frederiksberg Cemetery in Copenhagen.